One of the most difficult things that a child of God, a servant of Jesus Christ is commanded to do is to go and tell the lost people in this world that they are not good enough to enter into the kingdom of heaven, that no matter the amount of good deeds they do, no matter how kind, polite, caring, and loving they are, they are not going to inherit eternal life, that if they do not accept what Jesus Christ did on the cross for them, they will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. (Rev. 21:8)
My wonderful wife and I occasionally watch a short program on the internet that shows people being kind to each other, doing incredibly compassionate things for one another, some of them are so compelling that it brings tears to my eyes, for they are good, kind, loving acts that seek nothing in return. When we watch these, there is a pain inside of me that is difficult to describe, these are “good” people, they are not seeking to harm anyone, they are simply random acts of extreme kindness done with no other intent but to help and assist their fellow man at the moment. And every one of these people that does not accept Jesus Christ as Lord is going to experience the wrath of God without pity for all eternity. This is one of the reasons the lost hate us, not many of us are witnessing to hardened criminals, natural-born killers, murderers, and rapist, we speak, when we speak, most generally to what the world calls “good” people, individuals who help others when the opportunity to do so arises, expecting no recompence whatsoever from those in need. Yet they are lost, the wrath of God abides on them, (John 3:36) and one must be very sure when speaking to them to make them aware of this fact.
Very rarely if ever is this individual placed in the presence of the born-again believer unless their heart has been prepared to hear the message that is being given to them, for in their own mind, and in the eyes of the world, these individuals are deserving of heaven, they have lived good lives, lives in humble service to their fellow man with little thought to their own safety or concerns. But my friends, God is no respecter of persons, (Romans 2:11) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9) Not a lifetime of good works, not ten lifetimes of humble service to mankind can earn a man entrance into the Father’s house. Many expect the torturer and murderer of women and children to be punished for all eternity, few can see the elderly grandmother who loved all who came to her suffering in the same place.
This works based ideology has evolved into the expected path, Jesus is love and that is all He is, exceptionally good people will go to heaven, the balance of the scales will fall to their favor. The lost want to know, how can the wrath of God abide upon those who have devoted their lives to the assistance of the poor and feeble, how can God punish for eternity the one who gave so much of their lives for others, who sacrificed all for their children, their neighbors, even the strangers that they met. How can a loving God cast away from Him those who have devoted their lives for the welfare and well-being of others. Can good deeds be done apart from righteousness, does a humble act count for anything if it is not done with the sole intent of glorifying God, do good, honest, caring people go to hell? Yes, they do.
When you speak to them about the Savior, when you begin to tell them about the blood that was shed for all mankind, (Heb. 9:14) they are going to ask you these questions, and you have to be able to give them the answers. They are in the Scriptures, the place you are to be every day, the Holy Word of God that teaches us how to be able to give an answer of our faith to all that ask, (1 Peter 3:15) that shows us the truth we are to give to these “good” people with perhaps the hardest questions we will ever be asked. This is the reason that few will witness to the lost, some perhaps will visit those in jail, the hospital, the ones who are grieving over the loss of a loved one, but the person that asks these questions are most generally avoided. “Why would God send to the eternal fires of damnation, cast him from His presence to never know hope again, a man who devoted his life to the care of others, who sacrificed everything not only for those he knew, but even to the extent of the stranger, a humble man who gave all for everyone he met, why would this loving God you serve do that?”
And your answer would be…..
